Prepare your mind and heart to learn. As you prayerfully study the scriptures, you can learn through the Spirit and receive revelation that will help you in your individual circumstances.
Begin your study with prayer.
Have you ever wondered what happens in the spirit world?
In this video, President Russell M. Nelson relates an account from his personal family history. Listen for what we can learn about the work that is happening on the other side of the veil.
Read Malachi 4:1. This verse teaches that those who are “proud” and those who “do wickedly, shall be [burned] as stubble.” Stubble refers to the short stalks that remain after grain has been harvested from a field. Farmers often burn the stubble before plowing and planting the field again. Malachi’s reference to the wicked being like stubble on “the day … that shall burn as an oven” means that the wicked will be destroyed as part of the Lord’s cleansing of the earth at His Second Coming.
Think again about the family tree. What do you think the phrase “it shall leave them neither root nor branch” means?
In Malachi 4:2–3 we read that “the Sun of righteousness” (Jesus Christ) will “arise with healing in his wings” and that the righteous will “grow up as calves of the stall” and will “tread down the wicked.”
The phrase “healing in his wings” refers to the healing and protective power of the Lord and of His Atonement. The phrase “calves of the stall” refers to calves that are safe, well fed, and cared for. The Lord promises that just as calves in a stall are protected and cared for, He will protect and care for those who “fear [His] name.” The phrase “ye shall tread down the wicked” means that the Lord will help the righteous overcome evil by destroying the wicked at His Second Coming.
What principle can we identify from Malachi 4:2–3 about what the Lord provides through His Atonement to those who fear, or reverence, Him?
Consider your own parents, grandparents, and ancestors, as well as your future spouse and children. Imagine what it would be like if you were separated from your family in the eternities.
Read Malachi 4:5–6. You may also want to compare the words the angel Moroni quoted to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Joseph Smith—History 1:37–39, which include some significant changes to these verses. How did the Savior say He would help the families of the world before His Second Coming?
Quiz 1
According to Malachi 4:5–6, who did the Savior say He would send before His Second Coming?
John the Baptist
Elijah
Joseph Smith
Who is Elijah, and what did he do? (See Guide to the Scriptures, “Elijah,” scriptures.lds.org.) Select all that apply.
He was a prophet in Old Testament times.
He was known for his physical strength.
He performed many mighty miracles during his ministry.
He held the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
He survived a great flood as a young man.
Families Bound Together
What does the phrase “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:6) mean?
Read the following statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44), looking for what the word turn means in Malachi 4:6. You might want to record Joseph Smith’s statement next to Malachi 4:5–6.
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Joseph Smith
“Now, the word turn here should be translated bind, or seal” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 472).
Malachi prophesied that the Lord would send the prophet Elijah in the last days. Elijah’s mission would include restoring priesthood power to seal or bind families together through temple ordinances and covenants.
How has the prophecy about Elijah recorded in Malachi 4:5–6 been fulfilled?
Elijah’s Mission
The resurrected prophet Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple and conferred upon them the sealing keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood (see D&C 110:13–16). These keys opened the doors to family history and temple service in this dispensation.
Read the following statement by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency. Look for the role we can play in fulfilling Elijah’s mission.
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Henry B. Eyring
“Many of your ancestors died never having the chance to accept the gospel and to receive the blessings and promises you have received. …
“… There are more temples across the earth than there have ever been. More people in all the world have felt the Spirit of Elijah move them to record the identities and facts of their ancestors’ lives. There are more resources to search out your ancestors than there have ever been in the history of the world. The Lord has poured out knowledge about how to make that information available worldwide through technology that a few years ago would have seemed a miracle. …
“… When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. Perhaps after centuries, they rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them and to offer them freedom. In your reunion, you will see in their eyes either gratitude or terrible disappointment. Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them” (Henry B. Eyring, “Hearts Bound Together,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2005, 77, 79–80).
What is your role in binding families together in the last days?
The Spirit of Elijah—Hearts Turned to Family
Read Malachi 4:6 again. Notice that unless the hearts of family members turn to each other, the earth will be cursed, or “utterly wasted” (D&C 2:3). To better understand what this means, read the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
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Jeffrey R. Holland
“Elijah restored the sealing powers whereby ordinances that were sealed on earth were also sealed in heaven. That would affect all priesthood ordinances but was particularly important for the sealing of families down through the generations of time, for without that link no family ties would exist in the eternities, and indeed the family of man would have been left in eternity with ‘neither root [ancestors] nor branch [descendants]’ [Malachi 4:1].
“Inasmuch as such a sealed, united, celestially saved family of God is the ultimate purpose of mortality, any failure here would have been a curse indeed, rendering the entire plan of salvation ‘utterly wasted’ [D&C 2:3]” (Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 297–98).
From Malachi 4:5–6 and the teachings of President Eyring and Elder Holland, what principles can we identify about the blessings of participating in family history and temple service?
One principle that you may have identified from Malachi 4:5–6 is that as we participate in family history and temple service, our hearts will be turned to our ancestors and we will help prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
2. Answer the following questions:
Why do our hearts turn to our ancestors when we do family history and perform ordinances for our ancestors in the temple?
Why do you think our ancestors want us to help them in this way?
What experiences have you had doing family history and performing temple ordinances for your ancestors?
The Temple Challenge
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles challenged the youth of the Church to participate in family history and temple service. Listen for the details of the challenge and the blessings he promised to those who would accept it.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles challenged the youth of the Church to participate in family history and temple service. As you read his words, look for the details of the challenge and the blessings he promised to those who would accept it.
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Neil L. Andersen
“The challenge of last year was ‘Prepare as many names for the temple as baptisms you perform in the temple.’ This year let’s add eight words to the temple challenge: ‘Prepare as many names for the temple as baptisms you perform in the temple, and help someone else to do the same.’
“To state the challenge one more time in a different way: Accept the challenge; accomplish the challenge; and share the challenge. …
“My young brothers and sisters, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I invoke a blessing upon you. As you accept this challenge and as you teach it to others, I promise you that you will feel the beautiful link that binds us together as families through the generations. You will feel a happiness for those who accept your sacred offering. Your hearts will truly be turned to your fathers, and you will feel their hearts turn toward you. You will feel purpose and strength that will help you to avoid the temptations that surround you. … The gift of the Holy Ghost will be a stronger influence upon you. Your belief in and appreciation for the Savior will increase. You will better understand the power of His Atonement, and you will be safeguarded from the distractions that can so easily pull you from His commandments.
“… I leave you my love and blessing as you unselfishly contribute to this holy and redeeming work” (Neil L. Andersen, “Sharing the Temple Challenge” [address given at RootsTech Discovery Day, Feb. 14, 2015], LDS.org).
Many people wonder how to begin or how to take the next step in participating in family history and temple service. Spend some time on youth.lds.org on the Youth and Family History page to learn more about what you can do to turn your heart to your family, including your ancestors. If you don’t have access to the internet or are far from a temple, talk to your parents, your family history consultant, or a Church leader about what you can do to participate in family history and temple service.
In your personal journal or your Notes on LDS.org, set a goal related to how you can more fully participate in family history and temple service. Review this goal the next several times you write in your journal to see how you are doing.
As you complete this final lesson of the Old Testament course, take a few minutes to think about what you have learned and how you have grown spiritually during this course. Also, think about how the Lord has blessed you as you have participated in seminary this year.
3. Write about how studying the Old Testament in seminary this year has changed you. Include at least three examples.
